Get Started with SQL Server Data Tools in Visual Studio 2017: Download, Install, and Create Your First Project
How to Download Visual Studio 2017 SSDT
If you are looking for a modern development tool for building SQL Server relational databases, Azure SQL databases, Analysis Services data models, Integration Services packages, and Reporting Services reports, you might want to consider using SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) for Visual Studio. In this article, you will learn how to download and install SSDT for Visual Studio 2017, how to use it for database development, and how to troubleshoot some common issues.
What is Visual Studio 2017 SSDT?
SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) is an extension for Visual Studio that allows you to design and deploy any SQL Server content type with the same ease as you would develop an application in Visual Studio. You can use SSDT Transact-SQL design capabilities to build, debug, maintain, and refactor databases. You can work with a database project or directly with a connected database instance on or off-premise. You can also create Analysis Services models, Reporting Services reports, and Integration Services packages using familiar Visual Studio tools.
download visual studio 2017 ssdt
How to Install SSDT with Visual Studio 2017
Starting with Visual Studio 2017, the functionality of creating database projects has been integrated into the Visual Studio installation. There is no need to install the SSDT standalone installer for the core SSDT experience. However, if you want to create Analysis Services, Integration Services, or Reporting Services projects, you still need the SSDT standalone installer.
To install SSDT during Visual Studio installation, select the Data storage and processing workload, and then select SQL Server Data Tools. If Visual Studio is already installed, use the Visual Studio Installer to modify the installed workloads and add the Data storage and processing workload. For more information, see the documentation.
If you don't have Visual Studio 2017 installed, you can download the Visual Studio 2017 Community edition for free from the page. Make sure to select the Data storage and processing workload during the installation.
How to Install Analysis Services, Integration Services, and Reporting Services Tools
To create Analysis Services, Integration Services, or Reporting Services projects, you need to install the SSDT standalone installer. The SSDT standalone installer is a separate download that lets you install one or more of these extensions without having to install Visual Studio first.
To install the SSDT standalone installer, follow these steps:
Download the for Visual Studio 2017.
Run the installer and select the extensions you want to install. You can choose one or more of the following:
Analysis Services - This extension lets you create tabular or multidimensional models that can be used for business intelligence or data analysis.
Integration Services - This extension lets you create packages that can perform data integration and transformation tasks such as loading data from various sources, cleansing data, or applying business rules.
Reporting Services - This extension lets you create reports that can display data in various formats such as tables, charts, maps, or gauges.
Click Install and wait for the installation to complete.
Restart Visual Studio if it was running during the installation.
After installing the SSDT standalone installer, you should be able to create and open Analysis Services, Integration Services, or Reporting Services projects in Visual Studio 2017.
How to Download Additional Components for SSDT
In addition to the core SSDT features and extensions, there are some additional components that you can download and install to enhance your database development experience. These components are:
How to download visual studio 2017 ssdt for sql server
Download ssdt for visual studio 2017 community edition
Visual studio 2017 ssdt install error
Download ssdt for visual studio 2017 offline installer
Visual studio 2017 ssdt missing
Download ssdt for visual studio 2017 professional
Visual studio 2017 ssdt update
Download ssdt for visual studio 2017 enterprise
Visual studio 2017 ssdt project templates
Download ssdt for visual studio 2017 analysis services
Visual studio 2017 ssdt integration services
Download ssdt for visual studio 2017 reporting services
Visual studio 2017 ssdt database project
Download ssdt for visual studio 2017 azure sql database
Visual studio 2017 ssdt data tools
Download ssdt for visual studio 2017 azure synapse analytics
Visual studio 2017 ssdt bi
Download ssdt for visual studio 2017 previous versions
Visual studio 2017 ssdt compatibility
Download ssdt for visual studio 2017 sql server data tools
Visual studio 2017 ssdt tutorial
Download ssdt for visual studio 2017 sql server management studio
Visual studio 2017 ssdt features
Download ssdt for visual studio 2017 sql server express
Visual studio 2017 ssdt license
Download ssdt for visual studio 2017 sql server developer edition
Visual studio 2017 ssdt download size
Download ssdt for visual studio 2017 sql server standard edition
Visual studio 2017 ssdt download link
Download ssdt for visual studio 2017 sql server enterprise edition
Visual studio 2017 ssdt download iso
Download ssdt for visual studio 2017 sql server localdb
Visual studio 2017 ssdt download free
Download ssdt for visual studio 2017 sql server compact edition
Visual studio 2017 ssdt download microsoft
Download ssdt for visual studio 2017 sql server data warehouse
Visual studio 2017 ssdt download latest version
Download ssdt for visual studio 2017 sql server analysis services tabular model project template
Visual studio 2017 ssdt download windows 10
Download ssdt for visual studio 2017 sql server reporting services project template
Visual studio 2017 ssdt download windows 8.1
Download ssdt for visual studio 2017 sql server integration services project template
Visual studio 2017 ssdt download windows 8.0
- These connectors enable high-performance extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) of data from Oracle or Teradata sources using Integration Services.
- This component enables you to use Power Query (M) formulas to import data from various sources into SQL Server using Integration Services.
To download and install these components, follow the links above and follow the instructions on the download pages. You may need to restart Visual Studio after installing these components.
Benefits of Using SSDT for Database Development
Using SSDT for database development has many benefits that can improve your productivity and quality of your code. Some of these benefits are:
Declarative database development - You can use a declarative model to define your database schema and objects without worrying about the underlying SQL scripts. SSDT will generate the scripts for you when you build or publish your project.
Schema and data compare - You can use the schema compare and data compare features in SSDT to compare and synchronize schemas or data between different databases or database projects. You can also generate update scripts or deploy changes directly from the compare results.
Refactoring - You can use the refactoring features in SSDT to rename, move, or encapsulate database objects without breaking dependencies or references. SSDT will update all the references in your code automatically.
Continuous integration and deployment - You can use the publish and deploy features in SSDT to automate your database deployment process. You can also integrate SSDT with Azure DevOps to enable continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) pipelines for your database projects.
Common Issues and Troubleshooting Tips for SSDT
While using SSDT for database development, you may encounter some issues or errors that may affect your work. Here are some of the common issues and troubleshooting tips for SSDT:
Debugging - If you have trouble debugging your database code or stored procedures, make sure that you have enabled SQL Server debugging in Visual Studio. To do this, go to Tools > Options > Debugging > General and check the Enable SQL Server debugging option. You also need to have the SQL Server Object Explorer window open and connected to the target database. For more information, see the documentation.
Third party components - If you have installed any third party components or extensions for Visual Studio that interact with SSDT, such as Redgate SQL Tools or ApexSQL Tools, you may experience some compatibility issues or conflicts. To resolve these issues, you may need to update, disable, or uninstall the third party components. For more information, see the documentation.
VSTA issues - If you have trouble creating or opening Integration Services projects or packages, you may have some issues with the Visual Studio Tools for Applications (VSTA) component. To resolve these issues, you may need to repair, reinstall, or update the VSTA component. For more information, see the documentation.
SNAC removal - If you have installed the latest version of SSDT for Visual Studio 2017, you may notice that the SQL Server Native Client (SNAC) component has been removed from the installation. This is because SNAC has been deprecated and replaced by Microsoft OLE DB Driver for SQL Server